Gyroscope



April 23, 1963 T. w. BARNES GYROSCOPE Filed June 1, 1959 INVENTOR T. W. BARNES 24c)- ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,086,400 GYROSCOPE Thomas W Barnes, Orlando, Fla. Filed June 1, 1959, Ser. No. 817,120 12 Claims. c1. 74-5.7

This invention relates to gyroscopic devices and more particularly to an improvedgyroscope especially adapted for roll reference purposes.

Roll reference gyroscopes have been used for the stabilizing of air and water craft, andthese have usually been rotated by means of a fluid or an electric motor.

In previous air-driven gyroscopes it has been necessary to providea source :of air pressure or vacuum externally of .the gyroscope and a means of connecting the same and initiating its operation for the spinning of the rotor. The. additional equipment necessary, including the apparatus for initiating. and controlling the air movement, has been substantial, and has taken up space in craft of various kinds in which it is desirable to minimize space and weight requirements.

Accordingly, itis an object of'the present invention .to provide-agyroscopic device which doesnot require attachment to .any outside source of energy in order to spin the rotor.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gyroscopic device in which the energy for spinning the rotor is contained within the device and in which simplified means adapted to be remotely controlled are provided for initiating the expending of such energy.

A further object of the invention is to provide a relatively small, simplified gyroscopic device of few moving parts requiring but little machinery, relatively inexpensive to produce and having loose tolerances, which is of relatively lightweight and is not required to be attached to a source of energy at the moment of spinning up the rotor, and itis easily checked for stored energy without disassembly.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view partly in elevation of a gyroscopic device in accordance with the present invention and illustrating the same .in caged position;

FIG. 2, an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the device of FIG. 1 and illustrating the same in .uncaged position;

FIG. 3, a section on line 3-.3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4, a perspective of the inner gimbal ring.

Briefly stated, the gyroscopic device of the present invention includes an air-driven rotor mounted in a pair of girhbalrings having a portion through which air may flow in relation to the rotor in order to spin the latter. A reciprocatively mounted hollow caging pin is mounted to engage and communicate With the air passage in the inner ring as well as pass through an opening in the outer ring whenthedevice is caged, in order that air under pressure within the housing of the device mayspin the rotor and dischargeoutside of the device. The caging pin is retained in caged position until the pressure within the device reaches a predetermined value, at which time the pin is automatically disengaged from the gimbal rings. The device may be sealed in position for use and its action initiated at the desired time by unlocking of the air tube to initiate the spinning ofthe rotor. Reference pick-off may be provided in conventional manner, for example by potentiometer in a stable roll axis device or by slip ring or commutator in a roll'axis spinning device.

Within the interior of the casing an outer gimbal ring 14 is mounted in bearings 15 for pivotal movement about an axis, and an in'ner'fla'ttened gimbal ring 16 is mounted "ice in bearings 17 in the outer ring for pivotal movement about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the outer gimbal ring.

Mounted in-the inner ring by bearings 20'is a rotor 21 of the air-driventype. The flattened inner .ring- 16 iscomprised of spaced opposed bars 16.. connected together-at.their ends and has a block 22 at its lower portion which extends in close proximity to a portion of the rotor and, has a channel. 23 within which a portion of the rim of the rotor is received. Extending from one end of the blockis a bore '24 through which airmay discharge after passing over the driving element of the rotor. In order. to properly balance the inner ring an ottset enlarged portion 25 is provided at its upper part.

In-order to accommodate the lateral extension of the block 22 and to aid in the caging of the device the outer ring 14 has an offset portion 2-8 and a lower portion 29 of somewhat smaller diameter than the upper portion.

Mounted on the side of the casing is a connector 30 for housing a potentiometer pick-01f 31, or thelike, of conventional design. The auxiliary housing 11, to which reference has been made, for convenience is mounted outside the casing 10, although it isobvious that by modifying the shape of the casing or the airangement of the parts the auxiliary housing might be within the confines of the casing. Auxiliary housing 11 issubstantially cylindrical and has in its lower part a chamber 34 with an inner wall 35 to which the fixed end of a bellows or other pressure responsive device .36 is attached. The movable end of the bellows is provided with a tang.37 which is received within the mouth or enlarged opening 38of the auxiliary housing. A ball check 40 is mounted in the lower wall of the auxiliary housing inwardly of its outer end and engages the tang 37 to hold the bellows in the contracted position of FIG. 1 until the external pressure on the bellows has been'reduced to a predetermined value. To the upper portion of the tang a hollow caging pin or tube 42 is connected, which is of a length sutficient to be received through an aperture 28 in the ofiset portion 28 of the outer gimbal ring and within the bore 24 of the inner gimbal ring, as indicated in FIG. 1, in which position the rings are locked from movement. The hollow pin 42 passes through a passage 43 in the auxiliary housing, there being suflicientclearance to permit communication-of air thereabout from Within casing 10 to within the auxiliary housing 11. The tang 37 is loosely received within the opening 38 in order that air pressure within the casing 10 may be communicated around the hollow pin 42 to the front of the tang to act upon the bellows 36. The outer end of the auxiliary housing has a flange 45 and receives a sealing cap 46 having an outer lip '47- which may be bent back to engagethe inner side of the flange 45, a seal 48 being provided foran air tight connection. 7

The outer endof the hollow pin 42 passes through an extension 50 on the cap 46. In order to retain pressure within the auxiliary housing, a seal 51 is mounted in the cap and surrounds the tube 42 to seal against air leakage but permits movement of the hollow pin 42.

The extension 50 has a chamber 52 for the reception of a plug 53' for sealing the end of the. hollow pin 42 and such plug maybe of a low melting :point material such as bismuth. Resistance wires 54 maybe imbedded in the extension 50 adjacent to the plug 53 and connected to leads 55 controlled from a remote source.

In the operation of the device the rings are manually positioned through the connector 30to receive the inner endof the hollow caging pin 42 which is depressed inwardly to the position of FIG. 1, and maintained in such position by the insertion of plug 5'3, it being understood that the pressure within the bellows is suiiicientv to overcome the resistance of the ball check 40' under ordinary outside or ambient pressures. After the hollow caging pin is engaged and the auxiliary housing sealed, air under pressure is introduced into the casing through the valve 12, the pressure being sutficient to spin up the rotor to the desired speed during the escape of air from the casing.

When it is desired to operate the device the circuit is closed through the leads 55 to the heating element 54, which results in the removal of the plug 53. This permits the escape of air under pressure from the casing through the tube 42, the rotor being spun as this occurs. Since the outer end of the bellows tang 37 is subject to pressure within the casing, such pressure initially maintains the bellows in the contracted position of FIG. 1. After the pressure on the bellows decreases the latter tends to expand. However, such expansion is prevented by the ball check 40 until the pressure on the bellows has dropped to a still lower predetermined value in order to permit the complete spinning up of the rotor prior to movement of the bellows and the uncaging of the device.

Due to the relatively small number of moving parts, the compactness of the device, the lack of necessity for extensive machining and the loose tolerances which may be used, the device is relatively simple to manufacture and service.

Although the device may be used without connection to an external source of energy, thereby saving space, if desired it may be operated by connecting a pressure line to the valve 12.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a compact, inexpensive gyroscopic device which is especially adapted for use in a stable roll axis or in a roll axis spinning device and which is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to operate and maintain.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the in vention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Gyroscopic apparatus comprising a closed casing, an outer gimbal ring pivotally mounted in the casing, an inner gimbal ring pivotally mounted in the outer gimbal ring, a gyro rotor mounted to rotate in the inner gimbal ring, said rotor having impeller means on its periphery, a chamber extending from said casing, a bellows mounted in said chamber and having one end fixed and the other end movably mounted, said bellows under ambient conditions being in expanded condition, a hollow pin carried by the movable end of the bellows and extending from within the casing through the chamber and outside of the casing, said hollow pin engaging the inner and outer gimbal rings when the bellows is in contracted condition and being disengaged therefrom when the bellows is expanded, means for introducing fluid under pressure to the interior of the casing, means for communicating the pressure of said fluid in said casing against the movably mounted end of said bellows in order to contract said bellows, said hollow pin when open permitting the passage of fluid from within the casing therethrough, the inner end of said hollow pin being disposed adjacent to said rotor when the bellows is contracted whereby air escaping through said tube rotates said rotor, and releasable means sealing said tube from the passage of fluid therethrough.

2. The invention of claim 1 in which the inner gimbal ring has an arcuate segment receiving a portion of the periphery of the rotor and said segment has a bore for receiving the end of said tube.

3. The invention of claim 2 in which the outer gimbal ring has an opening through which the tube passes when the bellows is in contracted condition.

4. The invention of claim 1, and a check valve in the chamber and positioned to engage the free end of the bellows and to restrain its expansion until the fluid pressure within the casing is reduced to a predetermined value.

5. The invention of claim 1, said releasable means comprising a plug, and remote control means for removing said plug.

6. The invention of claim 5 in which said plug is a metal compound having a low melting point, and said releasable means is an electrical resistance wire.

7. In gyroscopic apparatus having a gyro rotor with impeller means on its periphery and mounted to rotate in an inner gimbal ring which is pivotally mounted in an outer pivotal gimbal ring, the improvement which comprises means for releasably locking said rings against movement, means biasing said locking means toward unlocked position, means for storing compressed fluid within said gyroscopic apparatus, means for applying the pressure of said compressed fluid against said locking means, said compressed fluid pressure maintaining said locking means in locked position until it drops to a predetermined value, means to permit the escape of fluid from said storing means, and means for passing escaping fluid over the rotor to spin the same.

8. A gyroscope comprising a fluid-tight casing, a gimbal ring mounted within said casing, a rotor supported by said gimbal ring, a fluid under pressure within said casing, fluid passage means extending into said casing, normally closed valve means sealing said passage means, means on the periphery of said rotor and operable from the reaction of fluid flow thereagainst to cause said rotor to spin, and passage means for passing fliud past said reaction spinning means when said valve means is operated to unseal said passage means.

9. In a gyroscopic apparatus having a gyro rotor mounted to rotate in a gimbal ring, the improvement which comprises an air-tight casing for said ring and rotor, and a scalable discharge outlet from said casing, fluid under pressure within said casing, said rotor having means on its periphery for causing it to spin resulting from the reaction of fluid directed thereagainst, and means for directing said fluid to act against said rotor to spin the same when the pressure is released by opening the discharge outlet.

10. Gyroscopic apparatus comprising an airtight casing for receiving fluid under pressure, a gimbal ring pivotally mounted in said casing, a gyro rotor having impeller means on its periphery and rotatably mounted in said gimbal ring, said casing having a scalable discharge outlet, said gimbal ring having means for directing fluid against said impeller means on said rotor and then to said discharge outlet whereby fluid under pressure within said casing and passing out said discharge outlet spins said rotor.

11. The invention of claim 10 in which said discharge outlet comprises a tube mounted to move from a first position engaging said rings to a second position out of engagement therewith, means urging said tube to the latter position and means preventing the movement of said tube until the pressure within said casing has been relieved.

12. The invention of claim 11 in which the tube is normally sealed by a plug, and means adapted to be remotely operated for removing said plug.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 818,987 Wheless Apr. 24, 1906 2,001,038 Reid May 14, 1935 2,139,670 Burgess Dec. 13, 1938 2,688,805 Annen Sept. 14, 1954 2,960,876 Saphra NOV. 22, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 214,051 Australia Apr. 17, 1958 

9. IN A GYROSCOPIC APPARATUS HAVING A GYRO ROTOR MOUNTED TO ROTATE IN A GIMBAL RING, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES AN AIR-TIGHT CASING FOR SAID RING AND ROTOR, AND A SEALABLE DISCHARGE OUTLET FROM SAID CASING, FLUID UNDER PRESSURE WITHIN SAID CASING, SAID ROTOR HAVING MEANS ON ITS PERIPHERY FOR CAUSING IT TO SPIN RESULTING FROM THE REACTION OF FLUID DIRECTED THEREAGAINST, AND MEANS FOR DIRECTING SAID FLUID TO ACT AGAINST SAID ROTOR TO SPIN THE SAME WHEN THE PRESSURE IS RELEASED BY OPENING THE DISCHARGE OUTLET. 